This week was all about rice! For the first dish I called on ye olde slow cooker again. I feel like I should name this thing because I use it so much. Gord? Larry? Maude? Let’s go with Gord. I had 2 chicken breasts and a hankering for teriaky so I made it happen. After 30 seconds of googling I found this recipe.

http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/slow-cooker-teriyaki-chicken-teriyaki/

I pretty much followed it exactly except I used less honey and soy sauce and added some hoisin sauce. I also didn’t use any cornstarch to thicken the sauce because I felt that it wasn’t necesarry and I didn’t want to dirty another pot. This recipe says to put it on high for 4-5 hours. I did six hours on low and it was perfect. I cooked some long grain white rice and steamed some broccoli and carrots when I got home from the shower and dinner was served! I can tell something is really delicious when my boyfriend inhales it. “It tastes like something you’d get at a restaurant!” he said. and he was right. It was mouth watering.

I organized my pantry cupboard and found a bag of aborio rice. “RISOTTO“ I screamed. It had been a while since I’ve made this beautiful stuff and I had a craving. I looked at what I had in the fridge. 1 large parsnip, a bunch of fresh sage. I typed  “parnsip sage risotto” into google and found this recipe.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/parsnip-risotto-with-pancetta-and-sage-50055662

I didn’t have pancetta but I did have a heritage pork and nutmeg sausage in the freezer. I defrosted it and took the meat out of the casing and fried it up with my pre-boiled parsnip (I also used carrot for colour), sage and garlic. While this was cooking up I followed the instructions for the rice. Risotto is one of the dishes that you can’t just leave, it’s very hands on. It was a nice change because I have been making so much in Gord lately that making risotto made me feel productive. Pour yourself a glass of wine and time flies! Once the rice is done fold in the meat and veg mixture and add parmesan. Serve and eat immediately.

WOW. If you want to impress guests, make risotto. It is so decadent and makes you seem like you’re a fancy pants chef. Luckily for us this recipe makes 4-6 servings so we have tons of leftovers. I can’t wait to eat it for lunch today!